‘I am not the only one’…Arne Engels breaks his silence on Atalanta’s interest in Celtic record signing

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Arne Engels is close to completing his first season with Celtic and is already getting interest.

Signed on transfer deadline day for a club record fee of £11m, Engels has shown real quality for Celtic at times, but also frustrated.

The Belgium international has scored 10 goals this season and been a mainstay in Brendan Rodgers’ starting XI.

That has alerted Atalanta, who are said to be keen on moving for Engels in the summer.

Only 21, the midfielder has a bright future ahead of him and the move to Serie A could seem appealing but for Engels, Celtic is the only thing on his mind.

• READ MORE: Who is Arne Engels? Meet Celtic’s record £11m transfer from Belgium

Arne Engels shuts down Atalanta transfer talk

Speaking to the media before this weekend’s Scottish Cup final clash against Aberdeen, where Celtic are hoping to complete a domestic Treble, Engels admitted that he has no interest in leaving Glasgow this summer.

“It’s the first time that I’ve heard about it,” the midfielder claimed.

“There will always be something to write or to talk about and if you have a good season and, hopefully, win a lot of things, then there will always be clubs and always be speculation around a lot of players.

“I think I am not the only one here who will have speculation in the summer. I’m just focused on the next game and it’s a really big one. Then, in the summer, I only want to get better.”

How Arne Engels has compared to Luke McCowan this season

On the whole, Engels has impressed but even he would’ve been disappointed by his performance during Celtic’s 1-1 draw against St Mirren.

With Luke McCowan and Paulo Bernardo waiting in the wings it’s more likely that the former would take his spot in the side.

Despite McCowan playing second fiddle to the typical starting trio, the 27-year-old has rivalled his fellow August deadline day arrival.

Despite playing in fewer games than his counterpart, the boyhood Celtic fan is close to matching him in terms of goals and assists. Engels admitted he wants to improve and while this season has been positive, another step-up may see him miss out on a spot in the side.